


and when you ask them how much should you give / they only answer more, more, more

by SufferHope_GracelessHeart



Category: Man of Steel (2013)
Genre: Baiting Lois's Curiosity Hook, Blatant lies, Choosing your Family, Clark is bad at fake names, F/M, Gen, I keep editing things, It's for Martha, It's totally because of Darcy Lewis, Miranda's last name is Lewis., Nature Versus Nurture, Post-Movie(s), References to Shakespeare, Secret Secret Keepers, TV Tropes WILL ruin your life, The Tempest, What do I call you now?, Your first fic is scary., yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SufferHope_GracelessHeart/pseuds/SufferHope_GracelessHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A friend from Clark's intrepid past comes bursting back into his life, sharing a connection that few can understand. Lois trying to keep her mild mannered superhero a secret tries to run interference only to learn that there are some things that can only be seen from a... further perspective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ...the secret that I try to hide

**Author's Note:**

> a.k.a. no white flag, no broken truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when two people know a secret, but only one of them knows the other does, too? Confused? After meeting Miranda Lewis, so is Lois.

                Miranda Lewis stepped into the halls of the Daily Planet with a bit of trepidation. Knowing what she knew where she was, she didn’t know if she’d be met with mistrust, disdain, or outright hostility. And still she was here about to meet with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the man no one knew was Superman.

                To be honest, until a few weeks ago, she had no idea the man she had known as Joseph Smalls _was_ Clark Kent. It wasn’t until she had been scrolling the Daily Planet website reading Ms. Lane’s exposés on Superman that she caught a glimpse of an article written by a freelance reporter that she noticed a particular turn of phrase that she starting reading Clark Kent’s work. It took awhile, but digging through the archives and old Daily Planet articles, she finally found a blurry picture of the stringer and she knew what she suspected was true. Clark Kent and Joe Smalls were the same person. Which led her to where she was now, about to meet him and the one person who was rabid at protecting his true identity. It was one of the longest elevator rides in her life.

                Before she had properly even stepped into the Bullpen, she was waylaid by a strawberry blonde woman about her height with a loose ponytail that bounced with every move she made.  And she was moving a lot. They were walking down a hall before Miranda knew what hit her.

                “Hi, Ms. Lewis, I’m…’

                “…Lois Lane. I recognize you from your picture with the exposé on Superman” Miranda finished for her.

                “Most people do around here. Listen, I sort of have unofficial dibs on the Superman stories at the Daily Planet. Clark is just a stringer, he isn’t even full time." She said with her ponytail bouncing down the hall and gesturing with her hands. 

                Miranda knew why Lois was running point on meeting her. After all, if she was there to bring a scoop on the man who was now know as Superman, it probably wouldn’t be the best idea to put her in the same room as, well…Superman.

                “Ms. Lane, I have no intention of…revealing anything about Superman the world shouldn’t know. I just have a story that needs to be told.” Miranda spoke quickly, laying a hand on the previously frantically gesturing arm. “The reason I asked for both of you is because I believe Clark has a special insight to the subject I wanted to bring to light. It has nothing to do with _who_ he is, but what he’s been through.” She said with an emphasis on a certain word. Lois was the front line, but Miranda already knew what was lying behind the curtain.  “There’s a story you haven’t told yet. One he doesn’t even realize he needs to tell. I know you know who he is and I know you refused to tell.” Miranda kept a firm grip on Lois’s hand so she couldn’t move away. “And from the rumors less scrupulous people are telling the two of you are closer than just a reporter and her source. I think I can clear up your worries with a cup of coffee or just a simple conversation…away from more curious eyes.“ Miranda said gesturing to the open Bullpen bustling with the business of keeping the Daily Planet running. Miranda could see the cogs turning in Lois's head and decided to just blurt the rest out.

                “Lois, if I was going to shout from the rooftops that I knew who he was, why would I ask for the one person who hasn’t revealed his identity?” Miranda pressed on. She let go of Lois’s hand and headed back to the elevator backward.  “He wouldn’t tell the story by himself and the world needs to hear it. If I could have counted on him to do it, I wouldn’t have asked for the both of you.  Ask him about Miranda, the girl who was lost in a storm.” Miranda pushed the down button on the elevator.  “I’m at the Metropolis Grande, room 218. All she could do was hope that Lois cared enough to give him the message. Of course, Lois’s curiosity and stubbornness _had_ won her a Pulitzer and her own man from the stars. Even if she never wrote Miranda’s story, she’d have to ask Clark what angle she missed on Superman and why _Miranda_ was the one to tell her about it. 


	2. so you ask how does that suit you? and I say a bit too tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clark head back into the Daily Planet with no idea the storm he's about to run into.

                Clark strolled into the Bullpen after chasing leads on contracts with companies affiliated with F.E.M.A. to help rebuild Metropolis. Apparently, there were being bid on by both LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises.  Neither of them were particularly happy with Superman or the Kryptonians, considering they had both lost equipment in the Battle of Metropolis. LexCorp lost a tanker and Wayne Enterprises lost a satellite. Neither of which he maintain were his fault. Sort of. It looked like there was something hinky with LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises was just too clean.  He dropped into his chair at his desk after bumping Lois’s rolling chair with his foot in a silent, but friendly greeting. As affectionate as they were outside of the office, they acted almost like bickering siblings in the Bullpen.

                After she regained her balance and she pushed off her desk to roll over to him. “What would you said if I asked you about a woman named Miranda and a storm? “

                His lips quirked in the smile she knew he had for _their_ inside jokes and said “How far into the Tempest, are you?”

                “Haven’t started it, Smallville. You had a visitor. _We_ did, actually.  Said I missed an angle on Superman and she needed both of us to cover it.  I’m pretty sure she meant all _three_ of us.” Lois’s eyebrow asked at least three questions that Clark needed to address quickly without actually answering them literally or he would pay. Dearly. Lois couldn't actually kill him, but she could make him wish he were dead. Life at the Planet was fun for Clark Kent with all the things he had to learn to say with very precise wording for very curious ears.

                “Miranda Lewis, she made the same kind of choice that ended up with you in handcuffs and I have no idea what angle she’s talking about. She’s a friend of Joe Smalls. A good one. ”

                “I remember Joe Smalls. He worked in a coal town, right? Left after a mining accident?” Lois remembered all of his aliases. That one was particularly pathetic because it was his middle name and his home town stuck together. Lois had remarked that it was way too close to his porn star name and while he was wonderful at forgery, he sucked at the actual aliases. 

                Clark couldn’t guess why Miranda had shown up in Metropolis or how she’d found him at the Daily Planet.  And everyone had their own Superman story, but the one story he knew Miranda had she had never told.  Like Lois, she kept her mouth shut so he could stick around until the heat got too hot after the coal mining cave in, when Clark saved 12 people with no obvious forms of oxygen and promptly moved on to the next town with a new name.

               “So I guess we’re headed to the Metropolis Grande, Smallville.” Lois replied. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a short chapter, hopefully made better by the amount of squirming Clark ended up doing.


	3. ...the secret that will save a life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois and Clark track down Miranda and she tells them about The Tempest. Only in Miranda's life, there have been at least three and Clark has kind of made his way into two of them. Miranda's determined, Clark's confused, and Lois is doggedly on the trail of what may be a brilliant story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a decently sized chapter to make up for the shortness of the last.

               The Grande was far from grand and actually the cheapest place someone could hole up in Metropolis, especially with the medical, construction, and governmental workers going in and out and out of disaster areas. Superman had helped with the heavy lifting, but Metropolis had taken their city back.

               Lois and Clark knocked on 218 and Miranda opened the door.  “Wow. That was actually a lot faster response than I expected. “

               “ 'Randa? What are you even doing here? Coming to the Planet of all places?” Clark asked in exasperation. "Did you forget the concept of a secret on the way into Metropolis?" 

               “Okay, first, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to call you. Second, the only person I actually talked to was her and we both know she's not spilling the beans any time soon. And third, I’m not even registered under my own name, Smalls.” Miranda snapped back.

               “Huh.  Guess you have that effect on girls everywhere, Smallville.”  Lois piped up.  “What name are you registered under? “

               “Ariel Joseph.”

               “The Tempest. Again. You're nothing if not reliable.“ Clark replied. Like he could talk. “Joseph was my middle name. Most people call me Clark. There are a few exceptions” he said, his eyes drifting to Lois.

               “So why do you think I’m here, genius?” Miranda asked him.

               “You told Lois you had an angle that needed to be told.”  Clark replied, getting frustrated.

               “And you, being you, thought I was talking about the truck?”  Miranda fired back. "You've saved thousands of people and you think pulling me out of a hole is why I traveled all the way to Metropolis?"

               “Back up, rewind, play again, children.” Lois had never actually had to referee a fight between anyone and _Clark_ before. She found it a disconcerting but novel experience. It never happened as it was never a part of the whole fade into the background, mild mannered reporter deal.  The only person he really argued with was her. "Tell me about the truck?"

               “Let’s just say me and my namesake had a bit in common, just like Jo- Cla- Smallville and I have a bit in common too. Completely separate but still sort of intertwined issues “ Miranda finished. She got up for the next part. “There was a storm and I had closing shift at the diner that I work in. Clark as usual was the last one out. He was a good guy that way. He kept me company on the nights where things got a little too rowdy or a little too quiet.  When things were a little too quiet, we’d talk. About anything and everything and nothing at the same time. He left when I closed up and I drove home.  Or tried to drive home at least, when I was run off the road by a tree. It sideswiped my truck and I was left in a ditch passenger side down and the driver's side up.  No one knew where I was or that I was in trouble and the water was rising in the truck. The only thing holding me up was also the thing that had me trapped inside..  My belt got jammed and I couldn’t get out, couldn’t move, I couldn't even really take a deep breath to scream for help with the way I was hanging down from  my chest. Not that it would have mattered anyway.  Then all of a sudden, the water started to sink, like it was draining out of a tub. It got farther and farther away from me until I was on the road again. And he-” she said gesturing to Clark, “ was behind my truck holding on to the back. You see, the water didn’t sink, Miss Lane," she said looking at Lois. "I _rose_.”

               “I never found any evidence of a vehicular rescue in that town, Ms. Lewis. The only interaction Superman had there was the coal mining accident.“ Lois stated clearly, almost petulant.

               “And no one knows that there’s anything special about Clark Kent from Smallville, Ms. Lane.” Miranda replied just as clearly and in the same tone. “I saw you in town, talking to the coal miners. I called in sick the next week or so, just in case anyone remembered Clark spending too much time with a waitress while she was working. As for finding Clark now, the rest was just luck.  I figured it out by sheer happenstance. I was reading your articles keeping up with Superman, when I ran across one of his. I have a tendency to read out loud and the phrasing was just too similar. “Men traveling from death trap to death trap to provide for their own.”  It’s how he described how he felt working at the mine. The people he saw working beside him inhaling coal in an enviroment that wasn't healthy or safe just to provide for their families.  After he saved me, it was one of the things that was still kosher to have a conversation about. I mean, we still talked, once I convinced him that no one saw what happened and I wasn’t telling anyone.“ Miranda looked down, a little sad at seeing her friend under less ideal circumstances. Especially with what was coming next.  “It explained all the other things we had in common. _That’s_ what this is about, Clark. “ Clark's eyes seemed to glaze over in memory or shock, maybe even disbelief, as he dropped down onto the bed. _This_ was the angle Miranda wanted to explore? 

               Miranda had been pacing when she talked about the accident, she always did when fear overwhelmed her. Being still and scared reminded her of the being in the car. Now she just sat down and became small.  “Did Clark tell you about the Tempest?”  Lois nodded. "Did he tell you what it means? Why it's so important to me?"  Lois looked back at Clark who was still as a grave, and Lois gave her a quick negative motion

                “My name is Miranda Iris Lewis. The only thing I know about my mother, my biological mother, is that she loved that play. It was her only condition.”

               “To what?” asked Lois. This story had started as a rescue... which was normal for the man she’d come to know, but Miranda Lewis wasn’t your average innocent bystander, she had stunned even Clark into silence. She'd evaded Lois and kept Clark's secret. This was no puff piece. Lois could feel the story here building with every word out of Miranda's mouth. and she was starting to understand why Miranda needed both her and Clark to tell it. If Miranda had gone to Clark alone, he would have killed the piece. 

               “To my adoption. My mother’s only condition to the family that adopted me was that my name be Miranda Iris, after the characters in the Tempest. See that’s when he first really started talking to me- Joe Smalls, Clark Kent,  Superman.  I mentioned offhand I was adopted and he did, too. We talked about it sometimes, on the quiet nights. Never after the crash, though. After he rescued me, it became a sort of a joke. Miranda in the Tempest, but other than that we never really talked about adoption again. That’s when I figured out as similar as our circumstances were, they were still very different." Miranda finished, curled up in one of the two chairs in the room. Clark was still on the bed, stunned. By this time, Lois was in straight up interview mode. “That’s the story you need to tell, Clark. That’s the story you need her to help you tell.  Not about what you’ve given to the world or how you’ve helped us. The fact is, I only know the bare details of what happened in Smallville, in Metropolis. Everyone saw you as some kind of angel or the devil incarnate. There wasn't any middle ground,  not for Joe or Clark or Smallville, even. No one seemed to get that you'd lived with us thirty-three years, raised by parents who weren't your own. When I found out how you revealed yourself, I knew I’d be the only one who’d make you acknowledge and actually understand what you’d lost. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sort of cliffhanger! Some of you probably understand Miranda's angle and some may not, but I didn't want to lay it out explicitly because of the next chapter. The first three chapters were necessary to set up the fourth, the idea that started this piece of fiction in the first place. That may or may not be the last chapter.
> 
> P.S. If you were wondering, to Miranda, her three Tempests were the original play after which she was named, her adoption, and her rescue. Hence the snark about Clark being intertwined in two of them, even though the events don't really connect to each other. I loved the idea that there were people who knew whom Clark was when Zod hit the ground running and didn't reveal his secret, but I wanted someone who also hid the fact from Lois as well, because talking to a reporter endangered Clark just as much as talking to Zod did.


	4. end is nigh, in a room filled up with light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lois and Clark's interview with Superman and his anonymous, cryptic friend, Prospero. Questions are asked and questions are answered and the reasons for Miranda's trip become clear to the entire world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read the Tempest, Prospero is Miranda's father. You can't say she isn't consistent with aliases. Also, just to warn you, there is an answer that is not canon-compliant. Read on, dear readers, read on.

 

Native Son – an Interview of Adoption and Adaption

Written by Clark Kent and Lois Lane

_To Prospero- without whom this article could not have been written, with gratitude – Superman._

L.L: Prospero, what made you approach Mr. Kent and I about interviewing Superman?

P: I was lucky enough to meet Superman at a time in his life when we were both searching for the same thing.  When I saw the message from whom we now know as General Zod, I knew that he had, or had had the possibility of finding what he was searching for.

C.K.: Could you elaborate on what you believe Superman was searching for?

P: I met Superman before he was Superman. Like Ms. Lane, I kept his identity a secret because I knew he had done a great deal of good for the world even if they hadn’t recognized it at the time. I'd like to believe it was our humanity that gave him the courage to surrender to mankind, even if our military and government handed him over to Zod.  When I knew him, he told me that he had been adopted, but his parents had died and he was searching for the truth of his origins.  When he met Ms. Lane, he had found not only who he was, but messages from his biological family embedded in alien technology.  He had the ability to interact with his own father, even though he was dead at the time.

L.L. : Why did you believe that he was searching for these things?

P: Because it was one of the things that we bonded over.  He didn’t tell me he was an alien from another planet. And can you blame him? Even the slightest mention of the possibility that there was an alien among us drove people to do and say horrible things and still he protected us. No, what he told me is that he was adopted.

CK: Why do you think you “bonded” with him over the fact that you had both been adopted?

P: It’s almost impossible to explain to someone who has a biological family. Who knows who they are and where they come from because you’re always aware of it… of not knowing the person who gave birth to you or why they gave you away. Was it because it was too hard to have a child or was it too hard to have you specifically? Do you look like your mother or your father? Do you have brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles? Do you speak like them, move like them, share hobbies? What traits did you get from your adopted family? Will they ever give you away like your first family did? Are you good enough for them?  Not to mention, Superman had all of those questions and the added pressure of learning to cope with being more than human. He had to learn how to control his natural abilities and accept the fact that he wasn’t even from our planet. He was the only one of his kind.

C.K: From this, I’m assuming you knew he had some sort of supernatural or extraterrestrial powers.

P: Yes, he used them to save my life.  We never talked about it though. To me, he was just a friend. A kind person with a willing ear and an open heart. He risked exposure helping me.

L.L.: Why do you think he took that chance?

P: I don’t think it was in him to let anyone suffer or die if he could do something to help. Especially now that he can be Superman.

L.L. Can you give us any more examples of his Good Samaritan nature?

P: I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that Ms. Lane. He deserves to have a private life like the rest of us.

C.K.: Some would say his first obligation is to help the world, to be responsible for the gifts he was given.

P: I believe he has. He saved us all, risked his life for humanity. I don’t think any one person should suffer the weight of every bad thing that happens in the world, no matter how superhuman he is. He deserves to have a life just like every other person on the planet.

C.K: But he’s not every other person on the planet.

P: Do we ask a soldier or a police officer to not have a family because they made a vow to their country or their city? Do we ask them to do things they are incapable of doing? Do we ask them to work twenty four/ seven?

C.K.: Some would say that being human comes at a price. Could that be his?

P: Absolutely not. I think if it was, when he finally broke down from our expectation of perfection, from not being able to be omnipotent and omniscient, we would lose what good we had in him in the first place.

C.K.: Lois Lane has covered all of these topics pretty thoroughly in her pieces concerning her experiences with him, the military, Zod, the recovery. What is it you feel that you had to add, so much that you’ve come forward but asked to be anonymous?

P: I’ve read all of what she’s written, the devastation that has been done to place like Smallville and Metropolis. People who accuse him of bring Zod down to Earth making us a target. I’ve read all of the articles about how much we’ve all lost, but no one has asked what he lost.

C.K.: What do you mean?

P: For one he’s lost his anonymity, now everyone is going to try to cash in on catching him, but that’s not really why I asked for this interview.

_Superman has entered the roof where we were interviewing Prospero right about now. Prospero looks up at the man hovering above her head._

P: Everyone assumed he always knew who he was.

S: Except you.

P: I had the benefit of knowing you, without the cape and all.  

_Prospero reaches a hand out to hold Superman’s. It’s funny the idea of this anonymous person giving what some would call a giant among men comfort. He puts his arm around Prospero and they hug as old friends do._

P: I knew I had to come forward because no one’s really acknowledging what he’s lost.

L.L. Superman, what have you lost in this crusade?

_Superman is silent, pensive. Prospero becomes his voice._

P: He’s lost all connections to who he was. Despite Zod and the Kryptonians being hostile, they were _his_ people, where he came from. I read an article from the Daily Planet stating in the efforts to save Earth, all Kryptonian equipment was destroyed or rendered unusable. Not only did he end up fighting his biological people, he lost his connection to his father, a chance to ask more questions, have conversations, build a relationship, learn about his home town. Or if he had his mother’s eyes or his father’s laugh.  I, at least have the hope that my family is out there somewhere and I may find them. Superman found his father and lost him in a matter of what?

S: Days.

P: For us. For Earth. To save us, he lost everything he was, every chance he could use to find out more.

C.K.: Knowing what you know, would you do it again or try to find another way?

S: I made my choices knowing the consequences ahead of time. My father wanted me to find a way to bridge the gap between our people. Zod wanted to destroy humanity. Despite my biology, I feel human, I grew up a mostly human boy with completely human values.  I found people who were willing to risk their lives to protect me.  I have traveled the world and seen wonders and beauties and sadness and grief. _He gestures to Prospero whom he still has his arm around_. I have found friends who are willing to risk their own identities and lives just so people will have some idea of what it‘s like to be in my position. If they are willing to fight for me, how could I do anything less?

L.L: Prospero, why did you come forward?

P: There were so many articles about whether Superman was a hero, about what Earth has lost, about how we have suffered. Whether or not all of this is his fault. I know him and I know he’s quick to take the blame off of any of us. That’s a noble trait, an admirable one. But in all of that media and noise and opinions, not once did I hear anyone suggest that Superman lost _anything_.  We were so obsessed with his affect on us, good or bad, that no one was talking about _our_ affect on _him._ What he lost to this war, what he was forced to sacrifice. To save a family of people, _human_ people, he had to sever his last connection to Krypton. Our weakness, whether we want to admit it or not, forced him to have to kill. He didn’t choose to be sent here or pick Earth out of a crowd.  He’s had just as little choice as we had about all of this. I didn’t want all this tragedy to happen and still have a planet of people not willing to look up, not willing to embrace the humanity that led to our salvation. Superman chose his family. He chose us. And I for one am going to honor that.  

S: From one Prospero to another - Now my charms are all o'erthrown,/ And what strength I have's mine own,/Which is most faint: now, 'tis true, I must be here confin'd by you…/ But release me from my bands/ With the help of your good hands./ Gentle breath of yours my sails/ Must fill, or else my project fails.

_Superman hugs Prospero again, shakes hands with us and leaves._

L.L: What do you think he meant by that?

P: The same as any of us would mean, Ms. Lane. He can’t make it through this life alone.

                Whether or not we know he’s there, whether he comes to us in our hour of need or trusts us to help each other, maybe we should start looking up.  Maybe we should start thinking of our heroes just as human and as imperfect as we are. Though it may just look like an S to us, to him and his people, that brand on his chest is a symbol of hope.  Maybe, just maybe, we can all be like this anonymous Prospero and change our perspective a little bit to see that hope, not just in him or on him, but in us as well.

                           ---- Daily Planet, City Desk.

In order to protect the anonymity of our sources, Prospero’s name has been redacted and any identifying information within this article is written with the aim of keeping our sources anonymous and safe.  Not just for their benefit, but for the benefit of all the people who have read this piece. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic popped into my head after reading a lot of fanfiction and T.V. Tropes. During a disaster that Superman inadvertently causes, I imagined that in this universe, people would be so focused on the tragedy of death and the heroics of Superman and ignore/not know what it means to be the only one of your people left in the world. 
> 
> This is the end for now. There may be an epilogue in the future. 
> 
> This is my first work and it is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. It tickled me the idea of having a four person interview with only three people in the room. It was partially inspired by another fic here, Life by NinaFey, in which Clark interviews Superman to get a job at the Daily Planet. I also thought the some of the harder questions would come from Clark himself, working out his issues with his responsibilities and his residual guilt from bringing Krypton to Earth, so to speak.
> 
> The title of the piece is from Fortunate Son by CCR and Native Son by Bryan Adams. The chapter titles are from Secret Keeper by the Switchblade Kittens, in no particular order. 
> 
> P.S. If you caught it, Prospero!Miranda says that both of Superman's parents are dead. She is a lying liar who lies. Martha's fine, but they thought it was a good idea to imply he had no family left in the sneakiest way possible, through Miranda. Miranda also chooses a male name to disguise the fact that Lois and Clark's anonymous source is a female. If you'll note, everyone is very careful not to use he or she in this article. Lying liars who lie! At least they have the courtesy of telling you they may be lying though so...polite lying liars who lie!
> 
> P.P.S. I keep finding new things to add! And edit. And fix. Your first time out is hard!


End file.
